True church.

It is very important for every believer to understand what Scripture says about the true church. Christ said: "If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the pit." (Mat. 15:14). So, in order not to fall in the spiritual sense, one must accept into one's heart and follow the truths of the Word of God. The Word of God is a lamp to the human foot. It illuminates the path for every believer and sincerely striving for the truth.

What is the true church? The one that corresponds to God's word - the Bible. At the beginning of creation there was only one church - the Church of Christ. (Rom. 16:16). This is the church of which Christ says, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18). The true church belongs to Christ and is the one and only. Its head is Christ. If the Head is One, then there is only one church - the Church of Christ, all the rest, created thanks to Satan and the human desire for power - these are deviations from the truth, these are denominations with a layering of false additions to the truth.

The true biblical church, God's creation, has no shortage. People are always imperfect and may not act according to biblical truth. But the truth does not change from this.

Let's try to figure it out together, what are the features of the true church?

1. There is only one true church - the Church of Christ. She belongs to Him. He is her head. "One Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Eph. 4:4-6).

2. Service in the Church is conducted by men - ministers of the Church. Women are not allowed to participate in the ministry. (1 Timothy 2:11-12). Women can carry the Word outside of serving unbelievers, children, sisters in Christ.

3. In the true Church, the living word resounds, understandable to people. Thus, Christians fulfill the great commission of Christ - the bringing of biblical truth to people. Ritual worship (liturgy) does not give an understanding of the truth of God, as God wants it to be.

4. The Church is not a building, it is a living structure, consisting of living "stones" - Christians (1 Corinth. 3:16-17; Matt. 18:20; 1 Pet. 2:5).

5. Worship is given only to the living God, who is the Spirit and "He must be worshiped in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).

6. Baptism for the forgiveness of sins is carried out only by adults who can believe that there is a God, there is His Son - Christ, and realizing their sinfulness, they want to be saved thanks to Christ. “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). Only a believer, and not an unthinking baby, can make the most important decision in life. “But without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6).

7. Baptism is carried out only by complete immersion in water. Water is the grave for the sins of man. Epistle to the Romans ch. Verse 6 3 in the literal translation from the Greek reads as follows: “Either you do not know that how much we were immersed in Christ Jesus, in His death we were immersed.”

8. The Lord Himself adds the saved to the Church (Acts 2:47). Not people voting, not intermediaries in the form of different priests - only the Lord. None of the people can excommunicate us from the Church, but only we ourselves by our unbelief and non-fulfillment of God's commandments. We can fall away from the Body of Christ and lose our salvation.

9. Christ was crucified for us at Calvary. He took our sins upon Himself.

10. Each church is self-governing. Churches of Christ do not have any superstructures at the levels of district, region, country, Vatican. All existing add-ons are unscriptural. The leadership of local communities is pastors (guardians, bishops). They are God's servants to do the main thing - shepherd God's flock. “Christ is the head of every man” (1 Corinthians 11:3).

11. Guide in spiritual growth - only the Bible. All other supplementary books must be consistent with the Word of God - the Bible.

12. Every person has free will to choose and decide to accept Christ into their heart. No one can use violence in making a decision. Freedom to choose and follow the Bible is inviolable (Galatians 5:1).

13. The law for those who believe in God in the New Testament time is the New Testament, approved by the blood of Christ, shed on Calvary. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching (2 Timothy 3:16). Christ nailed to the cross the Old Testament teaching, which only condemned man, but did not give the way of salvation (Colossians 2:14).

14. Now we live by faith, hope and love (1 Corinthians 13:13).

15. The period of miracles, which was in the first century, when it was necessary to establish the truth of carrying the word of God by miracles, ended when the New Testament was completed. Today, miracles have disappeared as unnecessary. They are not pleasing to God. We live by faith, in hope and love. God is alive and can answer any of our prayers if it is in accordance with His will. That is why in Christ's prayer it sounds: "Thy will be done."

16. We should not rely on a person in our life, even the best, in our opinion. We must hope and trust only in God and have only Christ as an example in service.

17. We believe in the triune God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, spiritually equal to the Divine Holy Trinity (Matt. 28:19).

18. We are looking forward to the second coming of Christ, who will come to judge people. Heavenly abodes are prepared for the faithful, for unbelievers and those who did not accept Christ - eternal torment.

19. It is necessary to understand that there is a triune God, a God-man who once came into the world and there are all other people who lived, live and will live until the second coming. To all these people apply the words from the epistle to the Romans “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

20. The most important thing for a Christian, a disciple of Christ, is to grow up to the measure of the full age of Christ and to fulfill the great commission of Christ - bringing the truth to those who do not know it.

21. The study of the Word of God is a necessity for everyone in order to bring the truth to people.

22. Love for God inspires us to carry His word and put Him first in our lives. Love for people, regardless of their religion and position in society, encourages us to bring them the truth.

Lesson 20 (continued)

What are most religions based on?

How many religious denominations there are in our world! However, most of them are based on the name "prominent people" that gave them a start. These are Buddhism, Islam, Confucianism. Catholicism, the largest branch of Christianity, is based on the authority of the apostle Peter. Christ once said: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). In the church of St. Peter, where his body is allegedly buried, there is an inscription: "Where Peter is, there is a church, and where there is a church, there is no death, there is eternal life." Of course, there is a mistake here. It would be correct to put the name "Christ" instead of the mentioned apostle. Peter himself was never the head of the church, the head of the apostles, for the apostle James presided over the Council of Jerusalem. Peter did not suffer for us at Calvary, Peter was not resurrected for our justification. Peter did not show us the love of Almighty God. Peter did not bring to earth the principles of the gospel—the heavenly principles of salvation. Christ did all this.

Peter himself in his first epistle in ch. 2 6 art. brings clarity: “For it is said in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a cornerstone, chosen, precious; and believer in him not be ashamed." As we see, Peter does not ascribe to himself such a great merit - to be the foundation of the Church, but refers it to Jesus Christ - the true head of the Church. The Apostle Paul confirms Christ's position as head of the Church: “He put everything under His feet, and made Him above all things, the head of the Church”(Ephesians 1:22).

Standing before the Sanhedrin and speaking of his hope, Peter concluded: “He is a stone, neglected by you builders, but has become the head of the corner, and there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”(Acts 4:11-12).

In a Norwegian village, the construction of a church was in full swing. Suddenly, one of the builders slipped and began to fall down from a great height. Everyone was sure that he would break. At this time, a flock of sheep passed near the church. The builder fell on one of the sheep. The blow was fatal for the lamb, but the man remained unharmed. As a sign of the builder's salvation, an unusual symbol for the Church was placed on the spire of that church - a sheep.

Yes, it is He - Christ - the Lamb of God, who takes upon Himself the sins of the whole world, dies for us so that each of us can be saved. How good it is that we build our faith on Christ, and "Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame"(1 Peter 2:6).

The Standard for Defining the Church of Christ

"Search the Scriptures... They Testify of Me" (John 5:39). The Church of Christ is determined not by succession from prominent personalities, but by the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Word of God. “Being established on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, having Jesus Christ Himself as the cornerstone, on which the whole building, being built in harmony, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, on which you also are built into a habitation of God by the Spirit”(Ephesians 2:20-22). Therefore, the measure of the truth of the Church is everything Holy Bible- the teaching reflected by the prophets, apostles, and most of all - by our Savior Jesus Christ. In Him is open "the faith once communicated to the saints"(Jude 3). One must hold on to such a faith and stand firm in it!

Imagine what would happen if everyone living on earth, in the definition of the Church, began to adhere to the Bible? There would then be one Church in the whole world. Enmity, religious wars, violence would stop on our planet and there would be unity for which Jesus prayed: “Let all be one; as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, so may they also be one in us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”(John 17:21).

Seven Signs of the True Church

1. The peculiarity of the Church of God is that she sincerely believes and joyfully awaits the Second Coming of Christ: “Waiting for the blessed hope and the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us, in order to deliver us from all iniquity and purify for Himself a special people, zealous for good deeds”(Titus 2:13-14).

2. The true Church, believing in the soon return of Christ in glory, heralds this message to the world. Before ascending to heaven, Christ commanded His disciples: "So go teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”(Matthew 28:19)."AND preached this gospel of the kingdom will be throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”(Matthew 24:14).

3. "Who keeps his commandments, he abides in Him, and He in him."(1 John 3:24).

As a special sign of the truth of the Church, this text points out that she "keeps the commandments of God." And to preserve means to ensure that not a single commandment out of 10 is changed, lost or neglected.

Here we are talking not only about the commandments from the Decalogue Law, but also about the commandment concerning baptism as a sign of burial for the old life and resurrection for the new; breaking bread and taking wine, as memories of Christ's suffering and death; commands to eat and drink to the glory of God (see 1 Corinthians 10:31).

4. The true Church has "the testimony of Jesus Christ." "And the dragon was furious(Satan) to wife (church) and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and having the testimony of Jesus Christ» (Revelation 12:17).

The Church bears witness to Jesus by her Christian way of life. The book of Revelation defines "testimony of Jesus" How "The Spirit of Prophecy"(Revelation 19:10). The Church of God is thus the Church of prophecy. The followers of this church diligently study the Scriptures, studying the books of the prophet Daniel, Revelation, Isaiah, the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, reporting on the final events of the history of the world. The Bible says that "testimony of Christ" will be established in His people, waiting for the coming of their Lord, and they will not have “lack of no talent, waiting for the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ”(1 Corinthians 1:5-8).

Chapters from the introductory pamphlet of Bishop Alexandra (Mileant) "Where is the True Church? Information about churches and sects."

1. Signs of the true Church.

2. Orthodox Church.

3. Roman Catholic Church. Rome and Russia. The main differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

4. Protestantism. Lutheranism and its evolution. Calvinism, Reformation, Presbyterianism. Anglican Confession.

5. Conclusion.

Signs of the True Church.

The ever-increasing number of churches and all kinds of sects makes it difficult for some to question which of them is the true Church and whether there is even a single true Church in our time. Perhaps, some think, the original apostolic Church was gradually fragmented, and the churches that now exist possess only fragments of its former spiritual wealth - grace and truth. With this view of the Church, some believe that it can be restored from the existing Christian denominations (religious societies, sects) through collusion and mutual concessions. This view underlies the modern ecumenical movement, which does not recognize any church as true. Maybe, others think, the Church has never fundamentally had anything in common with the official churches, but has always consisted of individual believers belonging to different church groups. This latter opinion was expressed in the doctrine of the so-called "invisible church" advanced by contemporary Protestant theologians. Finally, for many Christians it is unclear: is the Church even necessary when a person is saved by his faith?

All these contradictory and, in fact, incorrect opinions about the Church stem from a misunderstanding of the central truth of Christ's teaching - about the salvation of man. When you read the Gospel and the Apostolic Epistles, it becomes obvious that, according to the Savior, people are called to save their souls not alone and separately, but together, constituting a single, blessed Kingdom of goodness. After all, the kingdom of evil, headed by the prince of darkness, in its war against the Church acts together, as the Savior recalled, saying: "If Satan casts out Satan, then he is divided with himself, how will his kingdom stand?" (Mt. 12:26).

Nevertheless, with all the diversity of modern opinions about the Church, the majority of sane Christians agree that in apostolic times the true Church of Christ existed as a single community of the saved. The book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles tells of the emergence of the Church in Jerusalem, when on the fiftieth day after the Resurrection of the Savior, the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles in the form of fiery tongues. Since that day, the Christian faith began to spread rapidly in different parts vast Roman Empire. As it spread, Christian communities - churches - began to appear in cities and villages. IN Everyday life, due to the vast distances, these communities lived more or less apart from each other. However, they considered themselves organically belonging to the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. They were united by a single faith and a single source of sanctification, drawn from the sacraments of grace (baptism, communion and the laying on of hands - ordination). At first, these sacred acts were performed by the apostles themselves. However, soon there was a need for helpers, and the apostles from among the members of the Christian communities chose worthy candidates who were ordained bishops, presbyters and deacons. (Thus, for example, the Apostle Paul ordained Timothy and Titus to the episcopate). The apostles charged the bishops with the obligation to monitor the purity of Christian teaching, to teach the faithful to live piously, and to ordain assistants for themselves in the person of new bishops, priests, and deacons. Thus, the Church during the first centuries, like a tree, constantly grew and spread throughout different countries, enriched with spiritual experience, religious literature, liturgical prayers and chants, later - with the architecture of churches and church art, but always preserving its essence of the true Church of Christ.

The gospels and the apostolic epistles did not appear all at once and not everywhere at the same time. For many decades after the rise of the Church, the source of instruction was not Scripture, but oral preaching, called Tradition by the apostles themselves (1 Cor. 11:16 and 15:2, 2 Thess. 2:15 and 3:6, 1 Tim. 6:20 ). Tradition is a single doctrinal tradition. In the Church, it has always been decisive in the question of what is right and what is not. Whenever something arose anywhere that did not agree with the apostolic tradition, whether in matters of faith, the performance of the sacraments, or government, it was recognized as false and rejected. Continuing the apostolic tradition, the bishops of the first centuries painstakingly checked all Christian manuscripts and gradually collected the works of the apostles, the Gospels and epistles, into one set of books, which was called the New Testament Scripture and, together with the books of the Old Testament, made up the Bible in its present form. This process of collecting books was completed in the 3rd century. Books that were controversial, not entirely consistent with the apostolic tradition, presented as apostolic, were rejected as forged, apocryphal. Thus, the apostolic Tradition was of decisive importance for the formation of the New Testament Scripture - this written treasure of the Church. Now Christians of all denominations use the New Testament Scripture - often arbitrarily, without reverence, not realizing that it is the property of the true Church - a treasure carefully collected by it.

Thanks to other written monuments that have come down to us, written by the disciples of Sts. apostles, we know many valuable details about the life and faith of Christian communities in the first centuries of the Christian era. At that time, faith in the existence of one, holy, apostolic Church was universal. Naturally, the Church then had its own visible side - in the "suppers of love" (liturgies) and other services, in bishops and priests, in prayers and church songs, in the laws (apostolic canons) that regulate the life and relationships of individual churches, in all manifestations of the life of Christian communities. Therefore, we must admit that the doctrine of the "invisible" church is new and incorrect.

Having agreed with the fact of the existence of a real, united Church in the first centuries of Christianity, is it possible to find such a historical moment when it was fragmented and ceased to exist. The honest answer should be no! The fact is that deviations from the purity of the apostolic teaching - heresies began to arise even in apostolic times. Especially active then were the Gnostic teachings, which mixed elements of pagan philosophy with the Christian faith. The apostles in their epistles warned Christians against these teachings and directly stated that the adherents of these sects had fallen away from the faith. The apostles treated heretics as if they were dry branches broken off from a church tree. Similarly, the successors of the apostles, the bishops of the first centuries, did not recognize as full-fledged the deviations from the apostolic faith that arose during them and the stubborn adherents of these teachings were excommunicated from the Church, following the instruction of the Apostle: "if even we, or an angel from heaven began to preach to you not that, that we have preached, let (he) be anathema" (i.e., let him be excommunicated, Gal. 1:8-9).

Thus, in the first centuries of Christianity, the question of the unity of the Church was clear: the Church is a single spiritual family, bearing since apostolic times the true teaching, the same sacraments and the uninterrupted succession of grace, passing from bishop to bishop. For the successors of the apostles, there was no doubt that the Church was absolutely necessary for salvation. It preserves and proclaims the pure teaching of Christ, it sanctifies believers and leads them to salvation. Using figurative comparisons of Holy Scripture, in the first centuries of Christianity the Church was thought of as a fenced "sheep yard," in which the good Shepherd - Christ protects His sheep from the "wolf" - the devil. The Church was likened to the Vine, from which believers, like branches, receive the spiritual strength necessary for the Christian life and good deeds. The Church was understood as the Body of Christ, in which each believer, as a member, must carry out the service needed by the whole. The church was depicted as Noah's Ark, in which believers cross the sea of ​​life and reach the pier of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Church was likened to a high mountain, rising above human delusions and leading its travelers to heaven - communion with God, angels and saints.

In the first centuries of Christianity, to believe in Christ meant also to believe that the work that He did on earth, the means that He gave to believers for salvation, cannot be lost or taken away by the efforts of the devil. The Old Testament prophets, the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles definitely taught about the existence of the Church until the very last times of the world: “In the days of those (heathen) kingdoms, the God of Heaven will raise up a Kingdom that will never be destroyed ... It will crush and destroy all kingdoms, but itself will stand forever," the Angel predicted to the prophet Daniel (Dan. 2:44). The Lord promised St. Peter: "Upon this rock (of faith) I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).

Likewise, if we believe the promise of the Savior, we must acknowledge the existence of His Church in our day and until the end of the world. So far, we have not indicated where it is, but we are only expressing a fundamental position: it must exist in its holy, integral, real nature. Fragmented, damaged, evaporated, it is not the Church.

So where is she? By what signs can it be found among the many modern Christian branches?

First, the true Church must contain intact the pure Christian doctrine preached by the apostles. The purpose of the coming of the Son of God to earth was in bringing the truth to people, as He said before His suffering on the Cross: “I was born for this, and for this I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth; everyone who is from the truth hears My voice” (Jn. 18:37). The apostle Paul, instructing his disciple Timothy on how he should fulfill his episcopal duties, writes in conclusion: “So that you know, if I tarry, how to act in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). With regret, we must admit that in the matter of doctrine we see a great discord among modern Christian branches. It is fundamentally necessary to agree that not everyone can learn correctly. If, for example, one church claims that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ, and another that it is not, then it is impossible for both to be right. Or, if one church believes in the reality of the spiritual power of the sign of the cross, while another denies this power, then, obviously, one of them is mistaken. The true Church must be one that in no way differs in matters of faith from the Church of the first centuries of Christianity. When a person impartially compares the teachings of modern Christian churches, he, as we will see later, must come to the conclusion that only the Orthodox Church professes the intact faith of the ancient apostolic Church.

Another sign by which the true Church can be found is the grace or power of God, by which the Church is called to sanctify and strengthen believers. Although grace is an invisible force, there is also an external condition by which one can judge its presence or absence, this is apostolic succession. Since apostolic times, grace has been given to believers in the sacraments of baptism, communion, the laying on of hands (chrismation and ordination) and others. The performers of these sacraments were first the apostles (Acts 8:14-17), then the bishops and presbyters. (Presbyters differed from bishops in that they did not have the right to perform the sacrament of ordination.) The right to perform these sacraments was transmitted exclusively by succession: the apostles ordained bishops and only they were allowed to ordain other bishops, priests and deacons. Apostolic succession is like a sacred fire that kindles others from one candle. If the fire is extinguished or the chain of apostolic succession is interrupted, then there is no longer any priesthood or sacraments, the means of sanctification of the faithful are lost. Therefore, since apostolic times, the preservation of apostolic succession has always been carefully observed: that a bishop is consecrated without fail by a true bishop, whose ordination goes back to the apostles in succession. Bishops who fell into heresy or led an unworthy lifestyle were deposed, and they lost the right to administer the sacraments or ordain successors.

In our time, there are only a few churches whose apostolic succession is not in doubt, these are the Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church and some Eastern non-Orthodox churches (which, however, fell away from the purity of the apostolic teaching back in the days of Ecumenical Councils). Christian denominations, fundamentally denying the need for the priesthood and apostolic succession, already on this very basis differ significantly from the Church of the first centuries and therefore cannot be true.

Of course, a spiritually sensitive person does not need external evidence of the action of the grace of God, when he vividly feels its warm and pacifying breath, which he receives in the sacraments and divine services. Orthodox Church. (A Christian must distinguish the grace of God from that cheap and harmful ecstasy with which sectarians, such as Pentecostals, artificially arouse themselves at their prayer meetings. Signs of true grace are peace of mind, love for God and neighbor, modesty, humility, meekness, and similar qualities listed St. Paul in Galatians 5:22-26).

Another sign of the true Church is her suffering. If it is difficult for people to figure out which church is true, then the devil, her enemy, understands this very well. He hates the Church and tries to destroy it. Getting acquainted with the history of the Church, we see that indeed, her history is written with the tears and blood of martyrs for the faith. The beginning of the persecution was laid by the Jewish high priests and scribes back in apostolic times. Then there are three centuries of persecution in the Roman Empire by the Roman emperors and regional rulers. After them, the Muslim Arabs raised their sword against the Church, then the crusaders who came from the West. They undermined the physical strength of Byzantium, this stronghold of Orthodoxy, to such an extent that it could not resist the Turks who flooded it in the 14th-15th centuries. Finally, the theomachists-communists surpassed everyone with their cruelty, having exterminated more Christians than all the previous persecutors combined. But here is a miracle: the blood of the martyrs serves as seed for new Christians, and the gates of hell cannot overcome the Church, as Christ promised.

Finally, a sure and relatively easy way to find the Church of Christ is historical research. The true Church must continually ascend to apostolic times. To apply the principle of historical research, there is no need to delve into all the details of the development and spread of Christianity. It is enough to find out when this or that church arose. If it originated, say, in the 16th or some other century, and not in apostolic times, then it cannot be true. According to this one sign, it is necessary to reject the claims to the title of the Church of Christ of all denominations that originate from Luther and his followers, such as Lutheran, Calvinist, Presbyterian, and later Mormon, Baptist, Adventist, Jehovah's Witnesses, Pentecostals and others, they similar. These denominations were founded not by Christ or His apostles, but by false prophets - Luthers, Calvins, Heinrichs, Smiths and other innovators.

The purpose of this pamphlet is to acquaint the Orthodox reader with the history of the emergence of the main modern Christian branches and with the essence of their teaching, in order to help to see how they differ from the one holy and apostolic Church founded by Christ. During the "Christological disputes" from the 4th to the 8th century, several heretical movements fell away from the Church - Arians, Macedonians, Nestorians, Monophysites and Monophilites (the modern Copts descended from them), iconoclasts and others. Their teachings were condemned by the Ecumenical Councils (of which there were seven), and these heresies do not pose a danger to an Orthodox person. Therefore, we will not talk about them here.

Let's start by saying a few words about the Orthodox Church. Read more about it in a special brochure.

Orthodox Church.

Getting acquainted with the history of Christianity, we are convinced that the emergence of the Orthodox Church continuously goes back to the apostolic time. The Church, being at the beginning small, like a mustard seed, according to the figurative comparison of the Savior, gradually grew into a great tree that filled the whole world with its branches (Mt. 13:31-32). Already at the end of the first century, we find Christian communities in almost all cities of the Roman Empire: in the Holy Land, Syria and Armenia, in Asia Minor, Hellas and Macedonia, in Italy and Gaul, in Egypt and North Africa, in Spain and Britain, and even outside the empire - in distant Arabia, India and Scythia. By the end of the first century, the Christian communities of all more or less significant cities were headed by bishops, who were the bearers of the fullness of apostolic grace. The bishops ruled over the communities of the smaller neighboring towns. Already in the second century, the bishops of the main (regional) cities of the Roman Empire began to be called metropolitans, who united the departments of the nearest bishops in their metropolis. It was the responsibility of the metropolitans to regularly convene episcopal councils to resolve current religious and administrative issues.

In addition to regional cities in the Roman Empire, there were so-called imperial dioceses. In relation to these main centers of the state system, points of broader church administration began to form, which later received the name of patriarchates. At the Fourth Ecumenical Council, which met in Chalcedon in 451, the boundaries of the five patriarchates were fully defined: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem (the area of ​​\u200b\u200bwhich was administratively insignificant, but important in its religious significance).

Over time, due to various historical events, the areas of patriarchates either decreased in their volume, or increased. Great ecclesiastical changes occurred as a result of the invasion of the Germanic peoples into Europe (end of the 4th century), oppression by the Persians and the invasion of the Arabs in the eastern regions of the Byzantine Empire (middle of the 7th century). In the middle of the 9th century, there is a movement towards the adoption of the Christian faith on the part of the Slavic peoples. The brothers of Thessalonica, Saints Cyril and Methodius, especially worked hard to educate the Bulgarians and Moravians. From Bulgaria, the Christian faith spread to Serbia. The great merit of St. Cyril and Methodius is the creation of the Slavic alphabet and the translation from Greek into Slavonic of selected liturgical books and books of Holy Scripture. Their works paved the way for the spread of Christianity in Rus'.

Although Christian communities existed on the northern coast of the Black Sea already at the end of the first century, the mass conversion to Christianity of the Slavic tribes inhabiting Rus' began from the time of the Baptism of Russia, when in 988, under Grand Duke Vladimir, the people of Kiev were baptized on the banks of the Dnieper. (See the brochure St. Prince Vladimir and the Millennium of the Baptism of Rus'). From Kyiv, the Orthodox faith spread to other parts of Rus'. How great the Russian Orthodox Church was in pre-revolutionary times can be judged from the following data: in Russia there were 1098 monasteries, with a total number of monastics over 90 thousand. In addition to the Moscow Patriarch, there were 6 metropolitans, 136 bishops, 48,000 priests and deacons serving 60,000 churches and chapels. For the training of the clergy, there were 4 theological academies, 57 seminaries, 185 theological schools. A huge number of Bibles and various theological and spiritual literature were published. Unfortunately, we did not value our great spiritual wealth enough, and we began to get carried away with Western ideas. The persecution of the Church by the atheists that arose after 1918 and the merciless destruction of the clergy, believers and churches can only be explained in the light of the Apocalypse, which predicts a great persecution of the faith of Christ before the end of the world.

Beginning in the middle of the 18th century, through the works of St. Herman of Alaska and other Russian missionaries, Orthodoxy was transferred to Alaska, where many Aleuts were baptized and the beginning of the spread of Orthodoxy in North America was laid (Now about 3 million Orthodox Christians live in the USA).

Currently, the Orthodox Church includes the following autocephalous (local) churches: Constantinople (with a large number of parishes in Europe, North and South America and a patriarchal see in Istanbul, Turkey), Alexandria (Egypt), Antioch (with its capital in Damascus, Syria ), Jerusalem, Russian, Georgian, Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Cypriot, Greek, Albanian, Polish, Czechoslovak, Lithuanian and "Orthodox Church in America." Autonomous churches are Sinai, Finland and Japan. After the first and second world wars, a large number of Orthodox Greek and Russian parishes (of the Russian Church Abroad) were formed in almost all parts of the world. The total number of Orthodox Christians worldwide is about 130 million.

The name Orthodox Church came into use during an era of religious controversy from the 4th to 6th centuries, when it became necessary to distinguish the true Church from heretical groups (Arianism, Nestorianism, etc.) who also called themselves Christians. The word orthodoxy is a translation of the Greek word ortho-doceo, meaning to think rightly. Another name for the Church is Catholic, which is Greek means "comprehensive." The meaning of this name is that the Church calls all people to salvation, regardless of their nationality and social status. When translating the Creed from Greek into Slavonic, the word "catholic" was translated as "cathedral."

In the Orthodox Church, local churches, such as Jerusalem, Russian, Serbian and others, are sometimes led by patriarchs, sometimes by archbishops or metropolitans. To resolve issues related to a given church, the head of this church convenes a council of his bishops. Questions concerning the entire Orthodox Church, such as questions of faith (dogmas) and canons (church laws), are discussed at "Ecumenical Councils." Bishops from all local and autonomous Orthodox churches come to the Ecumenical Councils. As needed, representatives from the clergy and laity are invited to participate in the councils. Thus, the form of government in Orthodoxy is neither individual nor democratic, but conciliar.

The teaching of the Orthodox Church in a concise form is formulated in the Creed, which was drawn up by the First and Second Ecumenical Councils in 325 and 381 (in the cities of Nicaea and Constantinople). This creed, in turn, was compiled on the basis of more ancient symbols dating back to the apostolic time. Summarizing the Orthodox teaching, we believe in the One God - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - the Trinity consubstantial and inseparable. The Son of God was born of God the Father before all ages. The Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from God the Father. We believe that the one God, worshiped in the Trinity, is eternal, omnipotent and omnipresent, that He, by His will, created everything that exists out of nothing - first the angelic world, invisible to us, then our visible, material world. God also created us human beings by breathing an immortal soul into us and inscribed His moral law in our hearts. God created us so that we would be perfected and eternally blissful in fellowship with Him. We believe that God is infinitely just and merciful. He controls the entire universe and the life of every person, and without His will nothing can happen.

When the first people violated the commandment of God, God did not reject them completely, but through the prophets began to prepare people for salvation, promising to send people the Messiah - Christ. When the world was ripe for accepting the true faith, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth to save us, sinful people. He taught how to believe and live righteously. For our salvation, He died on the cross and washed away our sins with His blood. On the third day He rose from the dead and initiated our resurrection and eternal blessed life in paradise. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, on the fiftieth day after His resurrection, sent the Holy Spirit to the apostles, who has been in the Church ever since, instructing her in the truth. We believe that the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church will remain invincible by the forces of evil until the very end of the existence of the world. We believe that the Holy Spirit in the sacraments of baptism, chrismation, confession, communion and other liturgical actions purifies and sanctifies believers, gives them the strength to live like a Christian. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will come to earth a second time. Then there will be a general resurrection of the dead, the end of the world and a universal judgment, in which each person will receive according to his deeds. After the judgment, eternal life will begin: for the righteous - eternal bliss in communion with God, for the devil and sinners - eternal torment in fiery hell.

We recognize that abstract faith alone is not enough for salvation, but it is necessary that life be in accordance with faith. Therefore, we recognize the need to fulfill the Ten Commandments given by God to the prophet Moses (Book of Exodus, 20th chapter) and the gospel Beatitudes given by the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 5:3-12). The essence of the commandments is love for God and neighbor, and even for enemies (Mt. 5:43-45). These commandments about love put the Christian faith morally higher than other religions, and, from the point of view of the human mind, can be assessed as the only way to establish peace, mutual respect and legality among people. Without sincere love to the neighbor and forgiveness, wars and mutual destruction are inevitable. The Lord Jesus Christ teaches us all to forgive in the wonderful prayer "Our Father," when we say: "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." In His parables, the Lord teaches us the virtues of faith, humility, patience, constancy, justice, and others. Among the parables, the "parable of the talents" stands out, which calls us to develop in ourselves all the abilities and talents given to us by the Lord God. True faith must certainly reveal itself in inner growth and good deeds, because "faith without deeds is dead." A Christian should be non-possessive; calmly treat material goods, use them not for their own whims, but for their own needs and help others. Pride, selfishness, arrogance and selfishness are an abomination in the sight of God.

The Orthodox Church teaches that every person is endowed with free will by the Creator and is therefore responsible for his actions. The Lord loves and pities us. He helps us in all good things, especially if we ask Him for it. After all, He promised us: "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7). Fervent prayer clarifies the mind, helps to overcome temptations and live according to the Commandments of God. Prayer helps us improve our spiritual abilities, and this is the main goal of our earthly life.

When an Orthodox Christian suffers setbacks or illnesses, he should not grumble at God, but should remember that the Lord allows us to suffer suffering for our own spiritual benefit - to cleanse from sins and strengthen the will in virtue. In difficult moments of life, one must pray to the Heavenly Father: "Let Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth."

We, Orthodox, venerate the saints - the Virgin Mary, prophets, apostles, martyrs, reverends (monastics) and other holy saints of God. After their death, the saints did not break their connection with us, but passed into the heavenly realm of the Church, which is called the Triumphant Church. There, at the Throne of God, they pray for us as for their younger brothers and help us reach the Kingdom of Heaven. We Russians cherish the memory of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga and Prince Vladimir, Sts. Boris and Gleb, Sts. St. Sergius of Radonezh, Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves, Seraphim of Sarov, St. John of Kronstadt and others, as well as the new Russian martyrs who have shone forth in our age.

Divine services of the Orthodox Church are conducted according to the order that has developed over the centuries. The main service is the Liturgy (public service). An essential part of the Liturgy is the sacrament of Communion, in which the faithful, under the guise of bread and wine, partake of the very Body and Blood of Christ and are mysteriously united with Him, as the Lord said: “He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” "(John 6:54). Before communion, the believer confesses his sins.

To help a Christian overcome his shortcomings, there are fasting days. Since apostolic times, there has been a custom to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays (in memory of the sufferings of the Savior), as well as before the feast of Easter - Great Lent. On fast days, it is not allowed to eat dairy or meat food and indulge in entertainment, but one should pray more and read religious literature. The Orthodox faith calls for taking care of the family, the elderly, the sick, the poor, and not judging anyone. "Judge not, lest you be judged" (Mt. 7:1). The goal of our life is constant moral perfection: "Be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).

We now turn to the history of the rise and teaching of other churches. The existing Christian denominations in Western countries were born out of the Lutheran movement, which in turn arose as a protest against the abuses of the Catholic Church. Therefore, from the emergence of the Catholic Church, we will continue our further review. (This historical part was compiled by Igor A. Avtamonov based on the book of Archpriest Mitrofan Znosko-Borovsky and other sources).

Roman Catholic Church.

After the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 78 of the Christian era, the Jerusalem church temporarily ceased to exist, and the Roman community and the authority of its bishop began to come to the fore. Based on the central position of Rome as an imperial city, and on the origin of the see from the chief apostles, the Bishop of Rome from the third century begins to speak out about his dominant position in the Church, in which the bishops of the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire did not agree with him.

We have already mentioned the ecclesiastical and administrative eminence of a number of cities and regions in the vast Roman Empire, starting from the second and third centuries. So Irenaeus of Lyon was recognized as the head of all Gaul, Cyprian of Carthage considered the Bishops of Mauritania and Numidia to be subordinate, the Bishops of Alexandria ruled the churches of Egypt, the Ephesians - the churches of Asia Minor, and the Roman Church headed the Roman region. Subsequently, by the decision of the Ecumenical Councils, a number of churches were recognized as leading in their religious and civil status. This did not violate equality between them, and issues relating to the entire Church were decided by the entire Church - its Ecumenical Councils.

The 34th Apostolic Canon says: “It is fitting for the bishops of every nation to know the first of them and recognize him as head, and do nothing exceeding their power without his consent: each to do only what concerns his diocese and the places belonging to it. But and the first does nothing without the consent of all. Thus there will be unanimity, and God will be glorified in the Lord in the Holy Spirit, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." This rule clearly expresses the principle of catholicity.

In general, the Apostolic Canons and the Canons of the ancient Councils do not allow either autocracy of the pre-eminent bishop, much less absolutism in the Church. The highest authority for resolving religious and canonical issues belongs to the Council of Bishops - Local or, if circumstances so require - Ecumenical.

Nevertheless, political circumstances developed in such a way that the influence of the Bishop of Rome continued to grow. This was facilitated by the invasion of the barbarians at the end of the 4th century and the migration of the peoples of Europe. Waves of barbarians moved through the ancient Roman provinces, washing away all traces of Christianity. Among the newly formed states, Rome acts as the bearer of the apostolic faith and tradition. The rise of the authority of the Bishop of Rome was also facilitated by religious unrest from the 4th to the 8th centuries in the Byzantine Empire, when the Bishops of Rome acted as defenders of Orthodoxy. Thus, gradually, the conviction began to grow among the bishops of Rome that they were called to lead the life of the entire Christian world. A new impetus to strengthen the despotic claims of the Roman bishops was in the 4th century the decree of Emperor Gratian, recognizing in the person of the Pope ("Pope" - the father, this title was worn by the Roman and Alexandrian bishops) "the judge of all bishops." As early as the 5th century, Pope Innocent declared that "nothing can be decided without intercourse with the See of Rome and, especially in matters of faith, all bishops must turn to the Apostle Peter," i.e. to the Bishop of Rome. In the 7th century, Pope Agathon demanded that all the decrees of the Roman Church be accepted by the whole Church, as rules approved by the words of St. Peter. In the 8th century, Pope Stephen wrote: "I am Peter the Apostle, by the will of Divine mercy, called Christ, the Son of the living God, appointed by His authority to be the enlightener of the whole world."

These increasing pretensions of the popes were at first not taken seriously by the Eastern bishops and did not divide the Church. All were bound by the unity of faith, the sacraments, and the consciousness of belonging to the one apostolic Church. But, unfortunately for the Christian world, this unity was broken by the Bishops of Rome in the 11th and subsequent centuries by distortions and innovations in the field of doctrinal (dogmatic) and canonical (church laws). The alienation of the Roman Church began to deepen by their introduction of new dogmas, first about the procession of the Holy Spirit "and from the Son," with the inclusion of these words in the Creed, then - about the immaculate conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, about purgatory, about supernatural merits, about the pope, as vicar of Christ, head of the entire Church and secular states, about the infallibility of the Bishop of Rome in matters of faith. In a word, the very doctrine of the nature of the Church began to be distorted. (As a justification for the doctrine of the primacy of the Bishop of Rome, Catholic theologians refer to the words of the Savior spoken to the Apostle Peter: "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church" (Matt. 16:18). The Holy Fathers of the Church have always understood these words in the sense that the Church is based on faith in Christ, which the Apostle Peter professed, and not on his person.The apostles did not see their head in the Apostle Peter, and the Apostle James presided at the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem in the year 51. Concerning the succession power ascending to the Apostle Peter, then the Apostle Peter ordained bishops in many cities, not only in Rome, but also in Alexandria, Antioch, etc. Why are the bishops of those cities deprived of the emergency powers of Apostle Peter? to one honest conclusion: the doctrine of the headship of Peter was artificially created by the bishops of Rome from ambitious motives. This doctrine was unknown to the early Church).

Increasing claims to the primacy of the Bishop of Rome and the introduction of the doctrine of the procession of the Holy Spirit led to the division of the churches into Eastern Greek and Western Roman (or Catholic). The official date of separation is 1054, when Cardinal Humbert placed St. Sophia in Constantinople, a papal message that cursed all those who disagreed with the Roman Church.

In the religious life of Europe, the 11th century is marked by the victory of the papacy over secular power. Rome becomes the ruler of the world. The desire for secular power and participation in the political struggle was not the work of individual popes, but flowed from the entire papal system. Pope Pius 9 declared it obligatory for a believing Catholic to recognize secular authority as the Bishop of Rome. At the behest of the pope, entire nations, taking up the sword and the cross, go to fight against anyone whom the pope calls his enemy. In the 13th century, the pope not only distributes royal crowns, settles the disputes of princes, but with one word starts or stops wars, appoints or deposes kings and emperors, resolves their sworn ones, etc.

In their struggle for power, the popes did not let up, but used every opportunity to remind them of their "primacy" and "infallibility." Thus, Pope Boniface the 8th in 1302 writes in his bull: "We also declare that the Holy Apostolic See and the Roman High Priest have supremacy over the whole world and that this Roman High Priest is the successor of the Apostle Peter, Prince of the Apostles, Vicar of Christ on earth, head of the whole Church, and father and teacher of all Christians." Similar words can be found in the decrees of the Vatican Council in 1870. In the "Code of Canon Law," published in 1917 by Pope Benedict the 15th, it is said: full legal authority over the entire church." These ever-increasing claims by the Bishops of Rome gradually widened the gap between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. Starting from the 11th century, the Orthodox Church was forced to rebuff the ambitious harassment of the Roman bishops, protecting the principle of canonical independence of local churches, established by the apostles.

In the struggle for secular power over the world, the bishop of Rome comes into conflict with Christian teaching, for the sword is not to the face in the hands of the "viceroy" meek Jesus and deeply distorts the essence of episcopal ministry. Many members of the Church and individual peoples started realizing it. From the 14th century began the religious and moral decline of the papacy. His power is becoming more and more secular, with its intrigues, pomp and greed for earthly riches. The majority of the population began to groan under the oppressive yoke of the representatives of the papal court. The German historian says: “The clergy treats the study of theology with contempt, neglects the Gospel and the writings of the Holy Fathers, it is silent about faith, piety and other virtues, it does not speak about the merits of the Savior and His miracles ... And such people are entrusted with the highest posts in Churches, calling them shepherds of souls!"

The results soon showed. At the beginning of the 16th century, Protestantism was born in Germany - a protest against the abuses of the Bishop of Rome, and, in particular, the criminal inquisition and the sale of indulgences (absolution for monetary bribes). Over the centuries, Protestantism broke up into many sects.

Rome and Russia.

For us Russians, it is important to consider what the relationship between Russia and Rome was like throughout history. Already at the dawn of the baptism of Rus' (at the end of the 10th century), the Pope sent an embassy to Korsun to reject Prince Vladimir from an alliance with Orthodox Byzantium. For the same purpose, embassies were sent to Kyiv. The pope tried to influence through the kings of Poland and the Czech Republic, and also tried to use the princely civil strife. When the Tatars invaded Russia, the popes send the weapons of the Swedes, swordsmen and Hungarians to her. Having failed on the battlefield under Prince. Alexandra Nevsky, the pope offers his help against the Tatars. Having received the answer: "God is not in power, but in truth," - the pope responds with armed offensives in the 13th century, and again - in the Time of Troubles in 1605-1612.

The offensive position of Rome towards Orthodoxy has not been interrupted throughout the history of Russia. Poland was declared a "missionary territory" by the pope, where violence was the main method of missionary work. In our century, from 1919 to 1929, Roman Catholics took 43 percent of the churches from the Orthodox. Since the first quarter of our century, the "Eastern Rite" has been a new organ for converting Orthodox to Catholicism.

How many times have Catholic prelates vehemently asserted that “the Lord is sweeping the Orthodox East with an iron broom in order for a single Catholic Church to reign. In 1926 and 1928, the Eastern Catholic representative traveled to Moscow to establish union with the Renovationist Church and ties with the Marxist International. The Jesuit Schweigel argued that the Bolsheviks perfectly prepared the ground for Catholic missionaries, and the piety and suffering of the Russian people are the key to the success of the preaching of the Union.The facts show that the aggressive attitude of the Vatican towards Orthodoxy has not been abandoned to this day.

Main differences between

Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

1. Catholicism has introduced a number of new dogmas that do not agree with the apostolic teaching and the decisions of the Seven Ecumenical Councils. The most serious deviations from the truth are the Catholic dogmas about the descent of the Holy Spirit and "from the Son" and about the primacy and infallibility of the Pope.

2. Contrary to the apostolic tradition, the clergy of the Catholic Church are committed to celibacy (celibacy).

3. The sacrament of communion is not performed according to the apostolic tradition, since instead of bread and wine, wafers are used (laity are deprived of communion of the Blood of Christ). The sacrament of baptism is performed through dousing (instead of immersion in water).

4. The Orthodox Church does not recognize "purgatory" (the middle place between heaven and hell, where souls are allegedly cleansed of sins), does not recognize indulgences, condemns the cruelty of the Inquisition and the seduction of the Orthodox population into Catholicism.

Protestantism.

A learned Catholic monk and a man of living conscience, Martin Luther, already in his youth, in 1510, saw the extreme licentiousness of the papal court and the Roman clergy. This greatly influenced the change in his theological convictions and shook his former view of the holiness of the ministers of the Roman Church.

In 1516, he observed how, in order to raise funds for the construction of the Cathedral of St. Peter's in Rome, "indulgences," i.e., were widely sold. remission of sins, not only present, but also future (!). Luther spoke out against such blasphemous trade. He explained to his spiritual children that deliverance from the punishment for sins can only be asked for by inner contrition and remorse for what has been done. A verbal duel ensued between Luther and Tetzel, a learned Dominican friar, who threatened Luther with excommunication and his right to burn heretics. In response, in 1517 Luther nailed his 95 theses to the doors of the Wittenberg Church, in which he outlined his views on repentance, justification through faith, and the harm of selling indulgences. The dispute continued for several years, during which Luther rejected the authority of the pope, who excommunicated Luther from the church. Only the intercession of secular power saved Luther from death. He was supported in Germany by many priests, professors, students, knights and princes. A split with Rome began and Luther and his followers separated from the Roman Catholic Church.

The movement in favor of purging the Church of papal fabrications and abuses was not limited to Germany. Zwinglius and Calvin, continuing their church reforms, went further than Luther in their doctrine of morality and sacraments. The main feature of Calvin's teaching was the doctrine of predestination, according to which God from eternity predestined some people to salvation, and others to death. This teaching essentially denies the need for Christian exploits and good deeds.

Lutheranism and its evolution.

At the beginning of the preaching of Luther and Calvin, they concentrated on the person of Jesus Christ: "There is no other way - Christ alone is the Way and the Truth. Outside of Him one cannot find God ... Only in the flesh of Christ can one know God ... for through the sending of the Son He revealed to us His will and your heart." The Lutheran Small Catechism states that "Luther is a dear and blessed teacher of the Holy Scriptures, who transformed the church of God by restoring in Christianity the purity of doctrine and the correct administration of the sacraments."

But a non-ecclesiastical element has joined this struggle for the purity of the Church, namely, enmity with the papacy for political, economic and personal reasons. This had its negative impact on the development of the Reformation and its teachings. Having set themselves the task of restoring church teaching in its apostolic purity, Luther and his associates could not cope with this task, because many centuries separated them from the first centuries of Christianity, they did not have a living spiritual experience and there was no knowledge of the creations of the Fathers and Teachers of the ancient Church. Medieval scholastic education presented Christianity in a distorted light. Their only source of interpretation was their own conjecture, personal opinion.

The Orthodox Church rejected the abuses of Tradition and the documents and facts invented by Rome, which are alien to the Word of God. The Protestants, on the other hand, completely departed from the Apostolic Tradition, renounced the spiritual experience of the holy teachers of the Church, from the decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, leaving the Holy Scripture, which they arbitrarily interpret, as the only guide in the faith.

Ignorance and fundamental rejection of Church Tradition was the main source of all the errors of the Protestants, because. the word of God is the Bible, the Gospel and Tradition. "Therefore, brethren, stand firm and hold on to the Tradition which you have been taught, either by our word or by our epistle," proclaims St. Paul (2 Thess. 2:15). St. app. John says, "There are many other things that Jesus did, but if they are written in detail, I think that even the world itself cannot contain the books that are written" (John 21:25). “The apostles did not convey everything through epistles, but much without Scripture; but both are equally worthy of faith. Therefore, we consider them worthy of faith and Tradition,” says St. John Chrysostom. The Fathers of the Church also teach about Tradition: Basil the Great, Irenaeus of Lyon, Blessed. Augustine and other saints of the first centuries.

While fundamentally rejecting the Apostolic Tradition, the Protestants are not consistent. On the basis of Tradition, they accepted the "canon of sacred books," the confession of the main Christian dogmas: about the trinity of Persons in God, about the incarnation of the Son of God, and recognize 3 ancient creeds in which these dogmas are revealed. Rejecting the authority of the ancient Fathers of the Church, they approved the authority of the new German theologians: Luther, Calvin, and others.

Lutherans assert that the salvation of man and deliverance from sins is accomplished by God himself, and not by the works of man, only by faith alone, the receipt of which depends entirely on God, according to His will. The grace of God, acting on a person, inspires him with faith in Christ, and this is the only condition for salvation - it makes a person righteous. The peculiarity of this faith is that a person has no doubts about receiving the grace of God. Through his faith, a person becomes a holy, pious and justified child of God. This is how the doctrine of justification by faith sounds briefly, being the main and starting point of all Protestant dogma. Holy Scripture does not give us grounds for accepting the teachings of the Lutherans; this teaching is fraught with elements that lead to the destruction of Christian morality. This dogma contradicts the Word of God and follows from the misunderstood words of Sts. Apostles. Luther accepted certain words of St. Paul literally, out of touch with the text and with the general thought of the Apostle: "A man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law," (Romans 3:28) ). Ap. With these words, Paul did not speak out against good deeds, but against the false self-confidence of the Jewish teachers, who believed that salvation was earned by the outward deeds of the law of Moses: circumcision, keeping the Sabbath, washing hands, etc. The same ap. Paul in his letter to the Romans says that the Lord, on the day of His righteous judgment, will reward each according to his deeds (Rom. 2:6). Ap. Peter: "You call the Father the One Who impartially judges everyone according to their deeds." Ap. John: "My children, let us love one another, not in word and tongue, but in deed" (1 John 3:18). Ap. James: "What good is it if someone says that he has faith, but does not have works? How can faith save him? ... As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead." The Lord Himself says that vicious people can also have faith in the sense of recognizing existing religious truths, but this faith is not sufficient for salvation: "Not everyone who says to Me: Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven."

Rejecting the extremes of Roman Catholic teaching, Luther himself fell into extremes: he rejected not only the God-affirmed priesthood and sacraments, but also the apostolic understanding of the Church. Luther says that the true church is where the word of God is preserved intact and the sacraments are correctly administered. But where is the criterion for the integrity and purity of the word of God and the correct celebration of the sacraments, if Luther himself rejected the spiritual experience of the ancient Church, rejected Tradition and the conciliar church mind, replacing them with an arbitrary understanding?

"The spiritual priesthood," says Luther, "is the property of all Christians. We are all priests, that is, we are all children of Christ, the High Priest. Therefore, we do not need any other priest but Christ, since each of us has received appointment from God Himself... We all become priests through baptism." Everyone in the church can preach the word of God and perform the sacraments. Pastors and superintendents exist for the sake of order. They are elected by the society from people who are able to teach the members of the community. When they are chosen, the elders lay their hands on them. Here there is no place for apostolic succession and the grace of the priesthood, but only an administrative appointment to the office of a preacher.

This statement is completely at odds with the method and understanding of the role of the priesthood by the early Christian Church, and it is not true that Jesus Christ and the apostles did not give any definite organization to the Church. In fact, for 40 days after His resurrection, the Lord talked with the disciples "about the Kingdom of God" (Acts of the Apostles), i.e. about the structure of the Church - a society of believers. Only one of the Apostles gave the Lord the right to perform the sacraments and teach people the faith: "And, drawing near, Jesus said to them: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Mt. 28:18-20). So is the right to lead people, leading them to salvation: "As the Father sent me, and I send you. And having said this, he breathed and said to them: Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:21-23). The Apostles themselves testify that it was not a community of believers, but the Lord Himself who called them to the work of apostolic service to Him "not by men and not through a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father" (Gal. 1:1).

The apostles preserved and successively transmitted the order and structure of the life of the Church, which was established by the Lord Himself; they themselves ordained bishops and presbyters.

Luther's teaching about justification by faith alone led to a change in the view of the sacraments, which for Lutherans have only a symbolic meaning and their entire power lies in the personal confidence of the praying person that he is justified. The Lutherans have only two sacraments left, or rather their external form - baptism and communion, as commanded by the Savior Himself. However, their teaching is peculiar and alien to the ancient tradition. False spirituality is found among Protestants in mysticism, in the claim to communion with God in addition to the established sacraments and divine services.

The Protestants came to a denial of communion between the living and departed brothers to God, to the denial of the need for prayers for the departed and the intercession of the saints for us. The justification for this denial is purely rationalistic: why pray if you cannot change the fate of God, and since Christ has already fully brought satisfaction to God for all of us. Such teaching leads to moral passivity.

Protestantism, in its widespread liberal form, transferred the value of church experience to its personal experiences and pious sentiments. If so, then, one asks, what is the grace-filled power of God for? "Salvation is accomplished and imputed to me." Are miracles, and even the miracle of the resurrection, necessary? In the early 1940s, Protestants withdrew from Luther's teaching the doctrine of the Son of God and our salvation through Him. At the beginning of our century, 80 percent of the pastors of the city of Hamburg denied the deity of Jesus Christ. IN Lately Lutherans began to elect women for pastors as well. Justice demands to be noted that various currents have always coexisted in Lutheranism, and now, no, no, voices are heard: "We do not have a Church!" Among some Lutherans, interest in Orthodoxy is noticeable.

So, the Lutheran movement since the time of Luther refuses the value of living church experience - St. Traditions, from the veneration of the Virgin Mary and the saints, from prayers for the dead, from the administrative structure of the Church, from the holy sacraments, icons, from the sign of the cross, and consider faith alone sufficient to merit the Kingdom of Heaven. This Lutheran distorted Christianity creates a gulf between it and the faith of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

Calvinism, Reformation, Presbyterianism.

Calvin reformed in Switzerland, and his teachings spread to southwestern Germany and Holland (Reformation), France (Huguenotism), and Scotland, England and the North. America under the name of Presbyterianism. Calvin supplemented Lutheranism with the doctrine of unconditional "predestination." Luther nevertheless retained the foundations of Christianity, and Judaism hardly slips through in him, while in Calvin the elements of Judaism and paganism are so clear that Calvinism can hardly be considered a Christian confession. "Unconditional predestination" according to Calvin says that God eternally chose some people to salvation, and others - to destruction, regardless of their will. Those destined for eternal salvation constitute a small group of God's chosen people, by virtue of His inconceivable decision, beyond all their merit. On the other hand, no effort can save those who are predestined to eternal death. Good and evil deeds serve to fulfill God's purposes.

Why did Jesus Christ teach us in such detail how to live, to bear the feat, to walk the narrow path? What is the meaning of prayers, repentance, correction of life?

Calvinists refer to certain sayings of St. Paul (Rom. 9th chapter), taken without the content of the whole speech, fragmentarily, and from them they derive confirmation of Calvin's doctrine of predestination. These passages can be correctly understood only in connection with the entire content of this chapter, in which the Apostle says that justification is not the lot of the Jewish people only: "Not all those Israelites who are from Israel, and not all those children of Abraham who are from his seed "(Rom. 9:6-7). Here the Apostle opposes the Jews, who considered the Gentiles rejected by God, and only themselves - the sons of the Kingdom of God (according to the origin and fulfillment of the law of Moses). The apostle proves that the saving grace of God extends to all people and God calls to salvation not only Jews, but also Gentiles. Calvin's teaching is influenced by Judaism when it teaches that only the chosen people are destined for salvation, and the rest are doomed to perish. The Word of God teaches that "God wants all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4); "The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9).

Calvin's teaching is contrary to the concept of the Holiness of God. Incompatible with this concept is the teaching that God Himself is the culprit and cause of evil, from eternity choosing some to salvation, and others to destruction. This was influenced by paganism, which recognized the existence of an impersonal fatal force called fate (fate). Calvin's teaching leads to moral disinterest and indifference to good and bad deeds.

So, Calvinism denies free will in man; recognizes sin as a natural and inevitable phenomenon, which cannot be fought, because even prayer with repentance is helpless against it; denies the foundations of Christianity and regards the sacraments as mere symbols; believes that the presence of Christ in the Eucharist is not real.

In Scotland, Calvinism (Presbyterianism) was recognized by Parliament as a state confession in 1592. The Presbyterians, under the name "Puritans", demanded that the English king simplify liturgical rites and eliminate symbols, such as images of the cross, the banner of the cross at baptism, etc. The basis of the structure of the Presbyterians is the church community with a presbyter at the head, elected by the community. The bishopric has been abolished. Divine services are reduced to listening to prayers composed by the presbyter, to preaching and singing psalms. Communion while sitting long table; marriages are blessed at home; prayers for the dead are also read at home. There are no icons. The Liturgy has been canceled, as has the Creed (the Lord's Prayer is optional).

Anglican Confession.

The Anglican Confession is a mixture of Catholicism, Lutheranism and Calvinism. In England, several centuries before the Reformation, opposition to the ecclesiastical despotism of Rome had formed. The opposition matured on national, economic and religious grounds. The British resented the constant interference of the Bishop of Rome in the internal life of the country, excessive claims of a secular and political nature, big income Rome from England, the licentiousness of the clergy, etc.

The reason for the break with Rome in 1532 was for the English king Henry the 8th the refusal of the pope to give him a church divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Initially, there were no church reforms, but Henry proclaimed himself the head of the church, closed many monasteries, canceled "tithes" in favor of Rome. Later, under the influence of the Protestants who flooded England, the king instructed to revise all the teachings of the church, inherited from Rome. In 1536, the "Ten Articles of the Creed" came out on behalf of Parliament, which turned out to be a mixture of Protestantism and Catholicism. In 1552, a new confession of faith was published in 42 parts, and then the "Small Catechism." In it, many rituals, the consecration of water, the use of bells are called superstitions and canceled.

Under Edward the 7th, in 1551, these clauses were revised and 42 clauses of the English creed were issued. It turned out to be a mixture of Catholicism and Protestantism. This is how the English Episcopal Church was born.

The faithful began to fight religious parties, and in 1559 the queen issued a new confession of 39 members, binding on the clergy and laity. In these "foundations" there are dogmas consistent with Orthodoxy: about one God in three Persons, about the Son of God, etc., the denial of purgatory, indulgences and the primacy of the pope. Divine services are performed in their native language. But the error of the Latins regarding the procession of the Holy Spirit and "from the Son" has been inherited. Borrowed from Lutheranism are the fallacy of justification by faith alone, the non-recognition of the Ecumenical Councils, the disrespect of icons and St. relics. The Anglican Confession emphasizes the ecclesiastical headship of the king. The 25th member of this creed does not recognize repentance, chrismation, marriage, anointing and priesthood as sacraments. The Orthodox Church cannot agree with this, but there is no hope for a change in the position of the Anglican Church, since. it is dependent on a parliament which has members of the Freemasons, people of the Jewish faith, and even unbelievers. The English Parliament has the decisive word in matters of doctrine. The king - the head of the English Church - takes an oath at the coronation: "I declare and sincerely swear before God that I believe that in the sacrament of communion there is no transubstantiation of bread and wine into the true Body and Blood of Christ before and after the consecration of the Holy Gifts, whoever it is And I believe that the invocation and worship of the Ever-Virgin Mary and the saints, as well as the sacrificial meaning of the Liturgy, is contrary to the Protestant doctrine." In 1927 and 1928, the parliament twice rejected a new theological book approved by the assembly of the clergy and the House of Lords, because. there, the calling of the Holy Spirit was included in the order of the Liturgy, as well as the preservation of the Holy Gifts for the communion of the sick.

Conclusion.

Present summary we have tried to give basic information about the existing Christian denominations and several other religions. Of course, the most exalted and ennobling religion is Christianity with its teaching about the one God, worshiped in the Trinity, who created the world and takes care of people; about the incarnated Son of God, who came into the world to save us sinners; about eternal life; about love for everyone, even enemies.

Unfortunately, in the middle of the 11th century, the Roman Catholic Church fell away from the unity of the Church of Christ. The reason for the falling away was the claim of the Roman bishops to the primacy in the Church and their infallibility. Over time, the Roman Catholic Church with the introduction of new dogmas (about the procession of the Holy Spirit and from the Son, about purgatory and others) moved away from the purity of Christian teaching. The abuse of indulgences and the lust for power of the Bishops of Rome gave birth in Europe to the Protestant movement, from which they originate modern sects: Lutherans, Baptists, Quakers, Mormons, Pentecostals, Adventists and others. The religious chaos created by these sects has paved the way for the emergence in our time of a large number of all kinds of cults, clearly non-Christian in nature. The appearance before the end of the world of a large number of false prophets and strange religions was predicted by the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles (see our brochure "The Teaching of Holy Scripture on the Church").

An unprejudiced person, acquainting himself with the history of Christianity, cannot but come to the conclusion that only the Orthodox Church continuously ascends to the Church of the first centuries. She preserved the purity of her teaching and the grace-filled apostolic succession. The Lord instructed His Church not to invent new teachings, not to adapt to the customs of the world, but to save people by the grace and truth given to her. Passing on these treasures to future generations is an important task for the Church.

Before the revolution in Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church, being part of the one holy, catholic and apostolic Church, was populous and powerful. But the monolithic unity of the Russian people and the Russian Church was dealt heavy blows by sectarianism, nihilism, Western revolutionary ideas, and, finally, militant atheism. Now is the time to rebuild what has been destroyed and heal the wounds. Orthodoxy teaches that life must be built on the principle of Christ's love. "Then everyone will know that you are My disciples," said Christ, "when you have love for one another." In private life, Orthodoxy calls on a person to refrain from sins, to live according to the Commandments of God, and to improve morally.

Our faith in God should not be abstract, theoretical, because "faith without works is dead." We recognize the great power of prayer, and prayer has an important place in our lives. We must fervently pray to the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints as our helpers and intercessors before God. The Church calls us to take care of the welfare of the family and the state, to strive to improve the abilities given to us by God, to cultivate humility, non-possession and compassion in ourselves. Forgive everyone, don't judge anyone. Strive for eternal life.

On its historical path, the Church of Christ on earth sometimes grew in numbers, sometimes decreased. There were times when her enemies triumphed, hoping that her last days had arrived. But by the power of Christ the Church rose up, as if from dust, while her enemies perished. Christ promised the Church invincibility until the end of the world. We must remember that as children of the Orthodox Church, we are members of a great universal organization. In fact, there is no society and state greater than the Church, because not only Orthodox believers living on earth belong to it, but also all righteous people who have gone to that world. Indeed, the Church in her heavenly-earthly existence is eternally growing and strengthening. Being in the Church, we, as passengers of the great ship, will not drown in the waves of the sea of ​​life.

We are strong in our faith in God the Creator, the omnipresent, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise and merciful Heavenly Father. His will is our law, indicating how to live, how to develop our talents. Our goal is an eternal blissful life in the Kingdom of unstoppable Light.

I can't help but love the reviews for this book! “There is something to think about”, “A book that explodes the brain”, “The book is not without meaning”, “The book makes you start a little and think about something”, etc. But no one has written what this book is about, and what it is that it makes them think about! Maybe it's all because there is nothing to think about?

1999 Year of its creation. The year that Nolan's "Remember" comes out, followed soon by "Mullholland Drive." The time when all these grand pianos in the bushes came into fashion, the plots-shifters. It is now 2012 and we have read a lot and seen a lot. You can’t drive up to us on a lame goat, it’s hard to surprise us! What is here? Ragged storytelling and attention to detail - that's what Kurt Vonnegut already had in his Slaughterhouse #5. Dirt, everyday life and rubbish? So we have Michel Houellebecq and his midlife crisis. Exciting inscriptions in the toilet? Well, yes ... it was really strong! But this is by no means new - we often see this in life.

And you can really surprise us only with an exciting plot or smart thoughts. But none of that is in this book! It is boring to read it, anything useful, there is nothing to survive from any idea. Yes, one can cling to the problem of controlling the mass consciousness or the problem of diminishing religion and universal human values. But if you look closely, the author is simply stating a fact. He doesn't care about that!

"Fight Club" was a breakthrough, but then Polanek began to make money, his novels went into the mainstream, when you no longer work for a name, but a name for you. Whenever you write nonsense, people without even understanding anything will say: “Oh, yes! This is really powerful and makes you think a lot!” And there is nothing to think about! This book is empty, like the head of Nikita Dzhigurda, although it (both the book and the head) looks morbidly interesting.

Score: 5

WHY?!, I shout, WHY did I read this?!

I can only say one thing for sure... this is an unbearably terrible book. Terrible and very tense... sometimes wild, sometimes just creepy... it sucks you in literally from the first pages and doesn't let go. With your thoughts, you continue to be with the main character all the time, no matter where you are yourself ... And although the beginning reveals the inevitable end to us, it is impossible not to think what is happening!!! What will happen next!!! And why, why am I reading this!?

The book is, to put it mildly, very uncomfortable. Sometimes, while reading, I noticed how my teeth were squeezed with such force that my gums began to hurt, and the muscles of my face were tense to such an extent that they were numb ... Also, while reading, my head could hurt, nausea and a very disturbing condition could appear, which in turn inevitably led to severe depression.

Nevertheless, even despite these symptoms, I could not tear myself away from the book ... Maybe because this topic is close to me to almost physical pain in my whole body ...

The book tells about a deeply spiritually wounded, confused and lost person in this world. About a man who was originally destined for a terrible fate, even at birth. About an innocent person who was simply unlucky to be born and raised until the age of seventeen in a deadly sectarian society, where after seventeen you are baptized and expelled into the world where you must die. About a terrible place where human and someone else's life was not valued ...

Spoiler (plot reveal)

Every minute it became more and more difficult for me to do what I promised to do at baptism. Shoot yourself, open your veins, suffocate, bleed out, jump out.

He leads the Boeing 747 and himself to certain death and tells his story to the black box.

The story is filled with terrible tangles of psychologism of an unfortunate person who is completely confused and sees the meaning of life in a painful and distorted way. The heart begins to cry from how this person feels life and the people who surround him. Or maybe he's right?

Spoiler (plot reveal) (click on it to see)

It so happens that I am the last survivor of an almost completely disappeared religious cult.

Reading the text of the book, you involuntarily catch yourself thinking, or rather, the fear of going crazy. The author has long “lost his mind” and the same thing will happen to you at the end of what you have read…

This book is the thoughts of a mentally ill person. These are the fears that live in all of us. This is the chaos of our souls and the cry of tormented bodies...

When reading, with particular acuteness you understand how immoral our society is. It is corrupt and worships rotten ideals. A society where the ideal appearance and material values ​​are in the first place, there is no place for spirituality in such a society ... All people strive to grab more, striving for power. Greed is their guide. Become famous, get on TV by any means... even at the cost of other people's lives. And most importantly, you get addicted to it ...

Spoiler (plot reveal) (click on it to see)

They died together, en masse, holding each other's hands so tightly that the FBI had to break their dead fingers to disengage them.

Summing up, I will say that the book is terrible and became a kind of test for me ...

Score: 10

In fact, in my opinion - the best book of Palahniuk. I read everything that he has, but "Survivor" is the only thing that he re-read. Why? It's about the main character. It's about the sincerity of the writer. It's a matter of syllable.

But a fierce fail -

Spoiler (plot reveal) (click on it to see)

when he is a prophet

This is the part that I have torn to hell and burned for safety. It contains lies. I don’t believe it, get out, the vile part.

But in general, I clap lying down.

Score: 8

"Trash and waste, I love to have fun!" An incomparable book, magnificent humor - and without a shadow of a smile on the author's face, killer satire - in passing, as if inadvertently, colorful characters - where does the author take such - whole, convex, alive. Wonderful dialogues (or monologues - as you like), juicy, catchy style - none of Palahniuk's books made such an impression on me as Survivor. It hits the brain like a steam hammer - in my opinion it is simply impossible to remain indifferent. The author mocks not only the industry of modern religion, not only the inertia and ignorance of society, but also the reader, forcing him to agree with diametrically opposed paradigms. The book is full of symbols (towards the end their abundance even becomes threatening), but the story does not turn into a parable. What a luxurious film adaptation would be if you pick up a crazy enough director - just lick your fingers!

P.S. And yes - I did not immediately realize that the numbering also goes in the opposite direction ...

Score: 10

Killer novel. Allows you to look at the world through the eyes of a sectarian. After reading, you understand that normal people and a normal world, in principle, do not exist. The very concept of "normality" is illusory, mythical. There is nothing normal, there are only sides. The side whose lifestyle is recognized by the majority is considered normal, the rest remain on the dark side and are considered psychos. In fact, we are all psychos.

Take for example the lives of most workers. 6-7 hours of getting up, then work, returning home 18-20 hours, 3-5 hours are left for life, respectively, which are spent on cooking, let's get married, let them say, washing dishes and other household crap. And this is life!? So we are all slaves, we are all crazy, we are all hostages of group, social foundations and assumptions, because they were brought up by them. As long as you are at the mercy of public opinion and social prejudices you will not become a man, you will be a slave. The book, although not philosophical, does not go badly with beer, makes you think about life, about this existential decay.

Score: 7

This work seemed to me completely different from the ones I had read before, somehow "BK", "Invisibles", "Lullaby", "Suffocation" .. it is quieter or something, more thoughtful. There were no frank scenes inherent in Chuck, his naturalism is soft, and the hero of the story gave a lot of useful advice (if, of course, they are true) - how to remove blood stains from the piano keys, and traces of sperm from the curtains, how to clean the tiles to a shine, hide them in the wall bullet holes and, according to the rules of etiquette, eat lobster, etc. After reading, as always, I am overwhelmed with thoughts about life, its essence, its purpose. And a few quotes:

People don't want their lives fixed. Nobody wants a solution to their problems. Your dramas. Your worries. They don't want to start over. They don't want to order their lives. After all, what will they get in return? Just a huge frightening unknown.

My parents bought me my first fish to teach me how to love and care for some other living and breathing creature of the Lord. Six hundred and forty fish later, all I know is that everything you love will die.

People use things called phones because they hate being together but are very afraid of being alone.

I want to look believable. Truth never shines or shines.

You cannot believe that you are a slave of this body, this big child. You have to keep him fed and put him to bed and take him to the bathroom. You can't believe we haven't invented something better. Something not so bad. Not taking so much time.

You realize that people take drugs because it's the only real personal adventure left to them by their time-limited, legally ordered, property-separated world.

Only drugs and death allow you to see something new, and death is overly controlled.

People cannot understand someone else's virtue, which is not in themselves. Instead of believing that you are stronger, it is much easier for them to imagine that you are weaker. You are addicted to self-deprecation. You are a liar. People are always ready to believe the opposite of what you tell them.

And if you've never had sex, Adam says, you've never had a sense of power. You never got the right to vote and you never became a person. Sex is the act that separates us from our parents. Children from adults. Sex is the first rebellion of teenagers.

Score: 8

An interesting book, leaves some mixed feelings after reading. Either you feel sorry for the main character, how everything turned out unsuccessfully, or you sympathize ...

What else I liked was, of course, the corporate style of writing. Very pleased. I also liked the inscriptions in the toilets, which were mentioned here. =) But it's not clear, this is an airport toilet. Seems like a decent place. But there are holes in the walls, inscriptions from many years ago ... Although these are still flowers, compared with Dan Brown's airport toilets ("Digital Fortress", Italian airport toilet).

The plot is quite simple and interesting. It is worth mentioning that I do not like books that are the history of someone's hard life with deceptions and hopes and hardships and other snot. Here, Chuck was terribly pleased that the story of Tender is not another retelling of the actions of the protagonist, which usually represents a similar genre. The story is strong, original, with humor. Add to this a light sharp tongue, and you get a great book for a couple of evenings.

Meaning? As already mentioned, the book is a story of the life of one person, part-time cultist and superstar, along the way with ridicule of the first and second (as well as useful advice to housewives and murderers). Such a retelling of life. Meaning? What is the meaning of your life?

Palahniuk, as he usually does, with due irony walked through the exciting topics of our time. It seemed to me successful enough to read this book.

Score: 9

My favorite novel of all that I have read by Palahniuk. the same abomination, the same rejected heroes: half-perverts with half-decayed souls, living in a practically rotten world, in our world. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, mostly disgusting and insulting. You're not like that yet, but it's getting there. we even from the Bible, from the Book of Books, are able to make a cookbook, vulgar prayers for every day. And all for the sake of what, in order to die rich. No, not happy, just rich. we make super-heroes out of nonentities, but no matter how much shit we powder, it will remain the same, it will only be called “powdered feces”. Funny and sad. Palahniuk again mocks everyone and everything, with cynicism describes the brightest feelings, which, perhaps, do not exist at all. The book is about us, and it only seems that reality is embellished...

And to be surprised, - Palahniuk answers at the end.

Score: 9

I always wanted to look at our world through the eyes of a person of another world. Thanks to this book, a little bit managed to do it.

It seems to me that the way that Tender Branson moved away from religion is the main one in the whole world.

What is also surprising in Palahniuk's work is how he always manages to find symbols in boring everyday life. And the feeling of freedom, which really destroys more than inspires. Therefore, after his books, I have some kind of hopeless feeling: we are all striving for freedom, but why? ..

If in apostolic times there was one true Church of Christ, then today the ever-increasing number of denominations makes it difficult for many people to ask, which Church is true? Opening the Holy Scriptures, we find a number of signs by which we can identify the visible true Church of God.

The first and most important sign is the continuity of the teachings of the Church. The Apostle Paul writes about believers that they are "established on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, having Jesus Christ Himself as the cornerstone" (Eph. 2:20). Does the Church teach as the prophets, Christ, and apostles taught? If the answer is yes, then you are on the right track.

Second sign described in Matt. 28:19 - "Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations." The true Church of God on earth is not a national, but a worldwide Church, which bears the message of salvation by God's grace in Jesus Christ, "bringing the good news to those who dwell on the earth and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people" (Rev. 14:6).

The third sign is the belief in one eternal God in three separate persons - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The non-acceptance of Jesus Christ by the ever-present God (John 1:1-3,14) and the Holy Spirit by a divine person (Acts 13:2) indicates the absence of a biblical basis for a religious community.

Fourth sign- acceptance of Jesus Christ as the only mediator between God and people in the matter of salvation. "For there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). If the Church does not recognize Christ as the only mediator (1 Tim. 2:5), then we should think about its truth.

Fifth sign The true Church is waiting for the return of the Lord. Hebrews 9:28 says that "Christ will appear a second time to those who wait for Him for salvation." Having at least a basic knowledge of Latin, one can easily identify the Church that is waiting for the second coming of Christ.

The sixth sign is keeping the commandments of God. This sign is so important that it is mentioned in Rev. 14:12 along with faith in Jesus Christ. And in Rev. 12:17 it is written that not all who call themselves Christians, but only those who keep the commandments of God, cause a special fury of the enemy of human souls. The true Church recognizes all the commandments of the Decalogue, by which sin is known (Rom. 3:20, 7:7).

And, the last, the true Church of God is at all times in opposition to the world, for which it is persecuted and persecuted by worldly people. Jesus said, "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:19). It is impossible to please the world and at the same time be faithful to God.

There is a true visible Church of God. And to determine it with the help of Holy Scripture, which is a compass in spiritual matters, is not so difficult.